Many evangelical Christians make a distinction between how the Spirit “illuminates” Scripture and “inspires” Scripture (e.g., theologians Millard Erickson and Larry Hart). But the distinction is problematic. The common idea is that when the Spirit inspired the Scripture long ago, it is not the same as and does not have the same authority as when […]
I recently presented on the topic of “The Dynamic Intensity of the Spirit.” It was part of a Horizon College & Seminary faculty panel on the topic, “Revival and Awakenings.” In my presentation, I explained that even though God is omnipresent and God does not change, the presence of God in the Holy Spirit can become more […]
This is an important one for any pastor, worship leader, and others who have a leadership role for corporate worship services. In this video I interview Dr. Josh Samuel from Master’s College & Seminary in Ontario, Canada. A fair amount of our discussion focused on how we can facilitate authentic experiences of the Holy Spirit in corporate worship.
What is the anointing? In some Christian circles you might hear someone say, “the worship was so anointed,” or “the pastor was really anointed today.” What do they mean? But more importantly, how does the Bible…
In today’s video, I interview Dr. Sam Storms from Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma. I ask him about how he transitioned his previous church from being a cessationist church to one that practices all of the spiritual gifts. He also shares advice for other church leaders who seek to encourage their church […]
On more than one occasion, someone has misinterpreted my previous blog post, “Tongues is NOT the Only Sign of Spirit Baptism.” To be clear, my blog post was not a denial of the Pentecostal doctrine of initial evidence. The “initial” in “initial evidence” does not mean “only.” I don’t think you will find […]
This is a video of a presentation Dr. Andrew K. Gabriel delivered at the Society for Pentecostal Studies in Washington, DC. A longer version of the paper I presented will eventually appear in a book with the title The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology, edited by Wolfgang Vondey.
In today’s video, I interview theologian Dr. John Gresham, who is now at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, MI. I ask him about his research on the gifts of the Spirit and how a group might manifest a spiritual gift, rather than just an individual demonstrating a spiritual gift.
Some people believe the myth that those who are really Spirit-filled will always experience victory. This belief is a cousin to the idea that if you have enough faith you will always experience health and wealth. Just as faith doesn’t guarantee a life free of […]
I may not have made it through Seminary without my friend who had the spiritual gift of encouragement. Encouragement? Yes, that is a spiritual gift (Romans 12:8). Sometimes people believe the myth that spiritual gifts are only things that are dramatic and spectacular, but […]